A community's kitchen

Alberta church opens center nearly two years after tornado

From right, Catherine Maddox, Bertha Brasfield, Stacy Powell, Bobbie Evans-Ford and Jennifer Wilson prepare food for the lunch crowd at Greater Faith and Victory Worship Center's community kitchen on Tuesday. The center struggled to get money to rebuild after being destroyed by the April 27, 2011, tornado.

Dusty Compton | The Tuscaloosa News

By Jamon SmithStaff Writer

Published: Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 11:52 p.m.

TUSCALOOSA | A few months ago, Greater Faith and Victory Worship Center in Alberta was on the verge of becoming non-existent.

Facts

Victory Community Development Center

The church was severely damaged by the EF4 tornado on April 27, 2011. Because of a lapse in insurance payments, the church was not covered at the time the tornado struck. After more than a year of struggling to raise the $300,000 needed to repair and rebuild the church, the Tuscaloosa City Council slated the church for demolition because what remained of the building posed a public health concern.

The church's pastor, Bishop David Evans, had all but given up on Greater Faith until a church from across the river stepped in. Upon hearing of Greater Faith's plight, the Rev. Randy Fuller and the congregants of his church, New Beginning Family Worship Center in Northport, decided to use the money the church had been saving to build a new sanctuary to pay for Greater Faith's $300,000 in repairs and its $175,000 mortgage.

On Dec. 23, Greater Faith reopened its doors for noon worship, and on Tuesday it celebrated the grand opening of its community center, Victory Community Development Center, with a free hot meal from its soup kitchen to anyone who walked in.

“We want to be a church that goes beyond the four walls of the church and reach the community,” Evans said. Evans said the tremendous struggle that he and the congregation went through in their attempts to rebuild the church after the tornado changed them. The focus of their mission was made more clear.

“I'm not the man I was 18 months ago,” he said. “It's been a great, great release of pressure to have our church back. Emotionally and spiritually, it's affected all the members and we realize now what the fight was all about.

“What the fight taught us is you can't rebuild a community unless you first rebuild its people. Through the whole ordeal of rebuilding the church, we realized that we need to help people get back on their feet and not depend on them to help us get back on ours. They're the ones that need the help.”

Evans said he hopes the community center will be able to help the people of Alberta who he said were struggling before the tornado and have struggled even more since.

Kamilah Wilson, director of the community center, said the center will provide several free services to the community, including brown-bag lunches every Sunday at 1 p.m., hot meals from the soup kitchen every Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., utility bill payment assistance, bicycle and bookbag give-aways to children, divorce counseling, family counseling, music lessons for kids, job training, day care and youth mentoring.

The services are paid for with donations.

“This center and our church is about building the community, changing lives and helping people sustain a better and higher quality of life,” Wilson said.

“We opened this because we have a heart of service,” she said. “We want to find the heart of the people in this area and serve them. We want to let them know that they have not been forgotten. People here are still hurting. Alberta has always been an area that's been overlooked.”

Sharon Decrawford, a 46-year-old of Alberta resident, sat down at the center Tuesday to a hot meal of barbecue pulled pork, green beans, corn, a roll and a piece of cake. She said it's the first hot meal she's had at the center in nearly two years. She was a regular when the church's soup kitchen was open before the tornado destroyed it.

“I appreciate it because sometimes you don't have anything to eat,” Decrawford said. “It's a blessing. I haven't had green beans like this in a long time. I'm going to try and be here every week to support this. I'm proud of them for opening back up.”

<p>TUSCALOOSA | A few months ago, Greater Faith and Victory Worship Center in Alberta was on the verge of becoming non-existent.</p><p>The church was severely damaged by the EF4 tornado on April 27, 2011. Because of a lapse in insurance payments, the church was not covered at the time the tornado struck. After more than a year of struggling to raise the $300,000 needed to repair and rebuild the church, the Tuscaloosa City Council slated the church for demolition because what remained of the building posed a public health concern.</p><p>The church's pastor, Bishop David Evans, had all but given up on Greater Faith until a church from across the river stepped in. Upon hearing of Greater Faith's plight, the Rev. Randy Fuller and the congregants of his church, New Beginning Family Worship Center in Northport, decided to use the money the church had been saving to build a new sanctuary to pay for Greater Faith's $300,000 in repairs and its $175,000 mortgage.</p><p>On Dec. 23, Greater Faith reopened its doors for noon worship, and on Tuesday it celebrated the grand opening of its community center, Victory Community Development Center, with a free hot meal from its soup kitchen to anyone who walked in.</p><p>“We want to be a church that goes beyond the four walls of the church and reach the community,” Evans said. Evans said the tremendous struggle that he and the congregation went through in their attempts to rebuild the church after the tornado changed them. The focus of their mission was made more clear.</p><p>“I'm not the man I was 18 months ago,” he said. “It's been a great, great release of pressure to have our church back. Emotionally and spiritually, it's affected all the members and we realize now what the fight was all about.</p><p>“What the fight taught us is you can't rebuild a community unless you first rebuild its people. Through the whole ordeal of rebuilding the church, we realized that we need to help people get back on their feet and not depend on them to help us get back on ours. They're the ones that need the help.”</p><p>Evans said he hopes the community center will be able to help the people of Alberta who he said were struggling before the tornado and have struggled even more since.</p><p>Kamilah Wilson, director of the community center, said the center will provide several free services to the community, including brown-bag lunches every Sunday at 1 p.m., hot meals from the soup kitchen every Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., utility bill payment assistance, bicycle and bookbag give-aways to children, divorce counseling, family counseling, music lessons for kids, job training, day care and youth mentoring.</p><p>The services are paid for with donations.</p><p>“This center and our church is about building the community, changing lives and helping people sustain a better and higher quality of life,” Wilson said.</p><p>“We opened this because we have a heart of service,” she said. “We want to find the heart of the people in this area and serve them. We want to let them know that they have not been forgotten. People here are still hurting. Alberta has always been an area that's been overlooked.”</p><p>Sharon Decrawford, a 46-year-old of Alberta resident, sat down at the center Tuesday to a hot meal of barbecue pulled pork, green beans, corn, a roll and a piece of cake. She said it's the first hot meal she's had at the center in nearly two years. She was a regular when the church's soup kitchen was open before the tornado destroyed it.</p><p>“I appreciate it because sometimes you don't have anything to eat,” Decrawford said. “It's a blessing. I haven't had green beans like this in a long time. I'm going to try and be here every week to support this. I'm proud of them for opening back up.”</p><p>Reach Jamon Smith at jamon.smith@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0204.</p>